DejaVu
by Rose Stetson
Summary: What happened to Colonel O'Neill?
1. We Left Him Behind!

SG-1 ran toward the Stargate. "Daniel, dial us up!" came Jack's authoritative voice.

There was a barrage as the archaeologist punched in the coordinates as quickly as he could and hit the orange button in the center. Jack, Sam, and Teal'c, who had been returning enemy fire, started running up the steps and each darted into the Stargate's watery surface after Daniel.

They fell through the Gate and landed on the ramp, looking disheveled and battle-weary.

"Get a medical team to the Gate Room!"

The General's command was welcome to the weary travelers, but his next words were not.

"Major Carter, where's Colonel O'Neill?"

All three of the team members looked around them.

"He was right behind us!" Sam said, disbelieving.


	2. Ba'al Found Him

Ba'al approached the unconscious human. He ran his fingers across the beard on his chin in thought. "What shall I do with you?" He asked rhetorically with his low synthesized voice. Then, an evil grin spread across his face.

"Jaffa, kree."

The Jaffa nearby stepped forward. "Yes, Lord Ba'al?"

"Bring me some naquadah and potassium…our guest is burning up."

Then, as the Jaffa left to get the elements for his god, Ba'al looked down at Colonel Jack O'Neill. "Hurry! His friends must be dying to see him."

* * *

_Forgive my use of double meanings...they just seeemed cliche enough that Ba'al might actually use them...enjoy!_


	3. Rescue Mission

Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c returned to P2X 936 to find a dazed Jack sitting on the step of the Stargate.

"Uh, Colonel O'Neill?"

He looked up at them. "Oh, hi guys. Funny, but I just woke up with the worst nightmare and the biggest headache ever."

Sam looked at him. "Sir, what did this nightmare entail?"

"Uh, shooting…the Stargate…those damned Jaffas…getting left behind."

"That's no nightmare." Daniel said, cautiously.

"What?" Jack asked, incredulously.

"Listen, we thought you were right behind us…for a minute, we were afraid that you'd been sent through the gate in Antarctica…then, I was able to convince General Hammond to let us come back and at least look for you." Sam said, still skeptical about the ease of the mission.

She looked him in the eyes, studying him.

"What, Carter?" He asked, quizzically.

"I'm sorry if this makes you feel a little…uncomfortable." She said before placing her hand on the back of his neck.

"You could have just asked…" He said, annoyed.

"Sorry, sir…he's not goa'uld." She said to the rest of the team. "All right, it's time to go home. Daniel, dial it up."

Daneil started moving, but stopped prematurely. "Sam, shouldn't someone be shooting at us?"

"I certainly hope not…but we'll talk about it when we get back to Earth. The colonel's in need of some medical attention."

"Carter, I'm fine…trust me."

"Sir, that's one heck of a head wound, and I would feel better having Janet examine it." Sam explained.

The Stargate KAWOOSHED as it came to life. Daniel pressed the button on the GDO that sent their code through while Sam and Teal'c helped Jack get up and walked through the Stargate.

As they reached the other side, Jack fell to his knees in agony, his hands reaching for his head. Sam and Teal'c bent down to help him.

"We need a medical team to the Gate Room!" Sam cried anxiously. Then, she returned her focus to Jack. "Hold on, Colonel."

He raised his head slowly as if it felt very heavy. His eyes met Sam's and he tried to smile. "Sam…find out…what they did…to me."

Then, he collapsed into Sam and Teal'c's arms.

_I used the term KAWOOSHED (style and everything) because that's how they describe the actual activation of the Stargate in the script…I have Stargate: The Essential Scripts. What can I say? I'm a fan!_


	4. UhOh

Sam sat at Jack's side while Janet ran some tests. Teal'c approached her. "Major Carter, why are you sitting there?"

She shrugged. "This is where he would be for me…besides, I can't think clearly right now."

Janet Fraiser walked in and Sam stood up. "What is it?"

"As far as I can tell, it was a stroke."

Sam paled. "A stroke?"

"Sam, calm down. I still have to get the results from a couple more tests, but I don't think it was a natural stroke…I think he was left by the goa'uld for us to find." Janet said, trying to relieve her friend's worry.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Look, why don't you help me look at the scans, and you tell me what you think." Janet said, pulling Sam from Jack's side.

"All right…"

They walked into Janet's office where she had four different x-rays side-by-side. "There's nothing in the x-rays, but you should see the CAT scan. There's a small build-up of tissue here." She said, pointing to the dark spot on the scan.

"Are you saying the goa'uld gave him a brain tumor that put pressure on his nervous system and gave him a stroke?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Well, that's certainly what it seems to be." Janet agreed.

Just then, one of the nurses hurried in. "Doctor Fraiser!"

"Yes?"

"Colonel O'Neill just woke up."

"After a stroke that occurred less than three hours ago?" Janet asked, looking at Sam.

"He's asking for both of you." The young nurse continued.

"And he's fully functional?" Sam asked as she and Janet ran to Jack's side.

"'Bout time," He grumbled. "Doc, they're telling me to stay in bed…I feel perfectly fine."

"Sir, you just had a stroke…"Sam said as if scolding a small child for not understanding basic laws and principles.

"A what?" Jack demanded.

"Colonel O'Neill, we believe you were captured by the goa'uld while SG-1 prepared for their rescue mission. It's possible that the goa'uld messed with your genetic make-up." Janet replied.

"Kind of like Nirrti and her machine." Sam added.

"I know what you mean, Carter. I'm not stupid." He said, grumpily. "Besides, we killed Nirrti."

"Well, that doesn't mean that the other system lords don't have similar technologies." She replied, calmly.

"Okay…so, Doc, do I get to leave the bed or not?"

"I'm sorry, Colonel. I'm afraid that's out of the question until we know what the goa'uld did to you." Janet answered almost sadly.

While they continued to argue about whether or not Jack should leave the infirmary, the wheels in Sam's head were turning. "Janet…"

The doctor and her patient both turned to look at Sam. The tone of her voice was almost chilling to both of them. "What is it, Carter?" Jack asked.

"Janet, wasn't the naquadah bomb inside Cassie able to stop her heart at any time?"

Janet paled. "I need a CAT scan on Colonel O'Neill!" She ordered.


	5. Now what?

An hour later, Janet, Daniel, Teal'c and Sam were staring at Jack's CAT scan. "It's impossible." Sam whispered.

The device that had shown up in Cassie's lungs was now perfectly replicated in Jack's brain.

"The cellular decay is happening at a higher rate than Cassie's did…I think it may have something to do with the Ancient gene…or possibly just his age."

Daniel wiped his forehead in frustration. "How long?"

"Only about an hour…hopefully we can just take him to the same nuclear facility and he'll be fine, but who knows if someone improved on Nirrti's first model?" Janet responded.

"Does O'Neill know?" Teal'c asked.

"No, but I've been given the talk to tell him." Sam explained.

"I've released him to the immediate vicinity on the condition that he wouldn't go near the Stargate, but who really knows where he is." Janet added.

Sam nodded. "Thanks, but I'll be okay. I'll just tell him and we'll…" She took a deep breath to keep from bursting into tears. "We'll just take it from there."

She found him in his office, playing with a yo-yo. "Uh, Colonel O'Neill?"

She saw all of the boxes around the room, and noticed that his desk was bare, and a couple of the boxes were full.

"Hey, Sam. What's going on?" Jack asked, as he swiveled around in his chair.

"Nothing…where are you going?" She asked.

"The General relieved me of duty this morning, so I'm packing up and going to the cabin…why? You wanna come?

She started laughing, but her heart was still as heavy as a millstone…it was in her throat and the added weight was steadily drowning her in a sea of emotion. Right now, she was treading water, but his reactions would be the difference between sinking into the depths of despair or choking on the sea water turbulently thrown around her.

"Actually, sir…"

He interrupted her. "Sam, stop calling me 'sir.' First of all, I'm not your commanding officer anymore. And secondly I'm dying…that's what you came to tell me, wasn't it? Anyway, if I can't be Jack around my friends by the time I die, then I'm not worth very much, am I?"

"No, sir…you're right, Jack." She said, bravely.

"So, judging by your hesitation, you have some bad news for me."

She swallowed.

"So, I'm right." He said as he stood up.

He walked over to her and she felt tears well up in her eyes. He cupped her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Sam, just tell me…I can handle it."

"Jack, you've been used." She looked down and mumbled something incoherent.

"What is it, Sam?"

She looked back up at him and his hands in hers. "You're a naquadah bomb…just like Cassie was." He body began convulsing with sobs as he stood there in shock.

"How long do we have?" He managed.

She took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Jack, we have to take you to the…nuclear facility just half an hour away." She said, trying to blink the tears away. "Hopefully, it'll…hopefully you won't…"

"Blow up?" Jack finished.

She bit her lip and looked at the floor.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I was joking." He said, deciding whether or not to put his arms around her. In the end, he did sweep her up into his arms.

She feels so good…so right, right here. He thought. But I have no right to tell her…if I'm just going to die.

"Jack?" She whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I can't live the rest of my life not knowing…"

"Not knowing what?" He asked.

"Whether or not you love me."

It was out now…he couldn't play it safe anymore, but if he told her that he…loved…her, she wouldn't move on with her life. Snippets of a popular song ran through his head.

It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do  
To look you in the eye and tell you I don't love you.  
It's the hardest thing I've ever had to lie  
To show no emotion when you start to cry.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If he survived, they would revisit this…or he would just accept the consequences.

"Sam, I…"

He couldn't finish. Despite all of his black ops training, military evasion tactics…he couldn't lie to her.

"Talk about star-crossed lovers." She replied in perfect understanding.

Jack ran his hand through Sam's hair and she closed her eyes in tender pain. "It's not fair to ask you to chance that I'll…" Daniel ran into the room, interrupting Jack's confession.

"Oops…" He said, as he saw Jack and Sam's close proximity.

They parted and stood side by side. "We're coming, Danny." Jack said.

"Well, I don't mean to sound calloused, but we're down to 45 minutes."

"I'm keeping track, Daniel." Growled a fierce Sam.

"Okay…" Daniel said, backing away.

"Samantha," Jack began; she turned back to him. "If by some miracle I survive, will you…marry me?"

She cried as she nodded.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box.

"And if I don't, will you keep living your life?" He asked, before he handed the box to her.

She hesitated and jack placed the engagement ring on her left hand, then placed his finger under her chin and forced her to look at him. "Sam, promise me…you're still young enough to enjoy life, so don't throw it away because of what the goa'ulds did to me."

She closed her eyes in pain.

"Sam, don't give them the satisfaction of knowing that they single-handedly brought down the best theoretical astrophysicist and soldier on this team."

She nodded. "Aren't you going to make that an order?" She asked, calloused.

Jack threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

Janet walked in hastily. "Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, you need to go NOW."

Jack nodded. Then, as he pulled out of the embrace, he smiled bravely. "I will be back."

Then he kissed her forehead and started walking out the door. A hand was put on his shoulder and he turned around. Sam gave him a passionate kiss that rivaled Sha're's that fateful day on Abydos. As he tried to regain his senses, she looked him in the eyes. "You were right about coming back…but I'm going to be there every step of the way."


	6. Whither thou goest

Jack was heartened and angered by Sam's belligerence, though he wasn't exactly surprised by it. However, he decided to try to talk her out of it on the way up.

"Sam, you can keep in constant communication with me through that intercom. I don't want you to have to go back there."

"'Entreat me not to leave thee.'" She quoted with an air of finality.

"What happened to living your life?" He asked hotly.

"I am living my life the way I want to. 'Whither thou goest, I will go…And where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and they God my God.'" She choked with emotion, then continued. "'Whither thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.'"

She had Jack close to tears, and in the back of the suburban, he took her close and kissed the top of her head. "How on earth did I ever deserve a woman like you?"

"It wasn't on Earth that you proved yourself." She whispered. "Daniel told me about…about what you said in Ba'al's prison."

Jack stared into her deep, clear blue eyes. "So, that's when this all started?"

She shook her head. "No, that just proved that you were the man I fell in love with."

Jack smiled and Sam cuddled up closer to him, grateful for the few moments in which she could actually enjoy being in his arms.

"So, what were you quoting from?" He asked, curiously.

"The first chapter of Ruth in the Old Testament."

He nodded. "It's been a long time since I read that." She looked up at him, and he leaned down to kiss her.

Meanwhile, Teal'c, Daniel, and Janet watched the whole thing unfold discreetly from the small rearview mirror in the front center of the car. And all three said a silent prayer to whatever God was out there, pleading for Sam and Jack's happiness.

* * *

_Okay, I know it's sappy...but what else did you expect! I am particularly fond of that passage in the Bible, and though there aren't many references to Christianity in the series, I would expect that Sam is Christian due to the fact that Jonas Hansen (her former fiancee from "First Commandment")...It may sound far-fetched, but seeing as Christians tend tolook for other Christians in relationships, I figured it wouldn't be a huge stretch...besides, the look on her face when he said "All my life I've been looking for God, and here I am" and the fact that she was able to recite the first commandment ("Thou shalt have no gods before me...") unlike Jack who thought that the "no killing" commandment was the first one._

_Anyway, here's my fic...and I hope I'm not offending anyone by adding the Christianity element...if it does offend you, then it is a beautiful piece of literature that I decided to have Samantha quote._


	7. The Conclusion

They reached the nuclear facility with just under five minutes to spare. As they opened the door of the suburban, Jack's temperature spiked and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

Teal'c gathered the limp colonel into his arms and raced into the building, Dr. Fraiser alongside him. Just then, something hit her as Sam ran up.

"Sam, your blood has naquadah in it."

Sam didn't even stop to react. She raced down the hall and was about to get onto the elevator.

"Major Carter! Don't you dare get on that elevator! Colonel O'Neill is sensitive to even traces of naquadah. You're one of those traces. I can guarantee that if you get on that elevator and go into that room, the bomb will detonate."

Sam stopped dead in her tracks. "What?"

"We don't know everything that Ba'al did to Jack in the couple of times that he had him in custody…he might have used a mind probe…he might have other technology…" Daniel said, trying to defend Janet's perspective.

"Get to the point, Daniel." Sam ordered.

"He probably found out how much you and Jack care for one another…and he made you the perfect catalyst."

"That's insane." She retorted.

"Is it? Think about it, Sam. When did Jack's temperature spike? When did he pass out? It was after you and he had been in close contact for over a half an hour." Daniel finished.

She took a deep breath, and as she did so, Teal'c stepped into the elevator. "I will stay with him. If he awakens, I shall be able to explain the precariousness of the situation to him."

"But, Teal'c, you have a symbiote…you can't stay with him anymore than Sam can." Daniel said, quickly.

"Then who's going to carry the Colonel?" Janet asked.

"Teal'c can carry him…he hasn't been in contact with Jack as long as Sam, and I'll stay with him in the chamber." Daniel finished.

Sam was crying as she looked at the limp Jack in Teal'c's arms, then she walked over to him and tenderly kissed his cheek. "Jack, if you can hear me…I love you."

She stepped out of the elevator. "I'm sorry!" She screamed as the elevator doors closed.

She kicked them over and over again until she turned around, and slid down to the floor, running her hands through her hair in frustration.

Janet was at a loss of how to help her friend, and it tore her apart to see Sam so distraught. "Sam, I'm sorry…"

Her words fell on deaf ears. Teal'c got on the intercom to announce that he was at that time on the elevator, and Janet breathed a small prayer of relief, but Sam showed no change beyond that of her grief and shattered dreams. Then, Sam just covered her face with her hands.

Suddenly, her watch beeped. Everything stood still for a moment. She stared at Janet who in turn stared at the intercom. Sam stood up, her tears abruptly stopped and went to the intercom.

"Daniel?" She asked, hoping that he was alive…that Jack was…

A lump caught in her throat when she received no answer, and she felt her face flush with repressed emotion.

"Daniel Jackson! If you can hear me, please respond!" She continued.

"Sam, we're still here." Came the breathy response of the archaeologist.

She started laughing with relief when she heard Jack's voice in the background. "Danny boy, I have to admit…I was expecting someone a little better looking."


	8. Epilogue

Two weeks later, in a simple ceremony in Colorado Springs, Sam and Jack were married. The ceremony was attended by a small group of people including the rest of SG-1, General Hammond, Dr. Fraiser, Cassandra, Mark and his family, and Jacob. There was a tiny appearance of Thor, but that was before the ceremony when only Teal'c and Daniel were there to witness it.

But while Thor was congratulating Jack, Jacob went into his daughter's dressing room.

"Sam, are you ready?" Jacob asked as he knocked on the door.

He was surprised to hear her sobbing. "Sam, can I come in?"

The door was opened by a red-eyed Samantha. "Sure, Dad. Come in."

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked.

"Dad, what am I thinking? I mean, all of the men I've dated seriously or who have had a serious crush on me have died…" She began.

"Except Jack." Jacob said, calmly.

"But in the alternate realities…we're jinxed…Star-crossed lovers." She retorted.

"Sam, it's bound to work out sometime…why not now?"

"Since when did you become the optimist?" She asked, sitting on the chair to the vanity and wiping her nose with a tissue.

"When you became the cynic." Jacob said with a tiny smile.

"It's just that…with our jobs, we could be in danger…"

Jacob looked her in the eyes. "You're taking a civilian position with the SGC, and Jack has just taken command the SGC. I don't think that either of you are going to have to worry about going down in the line of duty."

She took a deep breath. "You're right…I'm just…nervous."

She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "It's just that I haven't gotten this far before…kind of afraid of commitment, I guess."

"No, you're not, Sam. You're nervous…that's normal."

She smiled. "Yes, I guess it is."

Just then, Cassie walked into the room. "Sam, what are you doing? They're about to start the procession….oh my gosh! We have to reapply your make-up!"

Sam just chuckled as she gave her dad a hug. "I'll be right there."

Ten minutes later, Jacob and Sam started walking down the aisle toward Jack. Sam looked gorgeous in her simple white gown and Jack looked smashing in his dress blues. Jacob and General Hammond had chosen to wear dress blues as well, while Teal'c, Daniel, Mark and Ian (Mark's son), wore blue suits.

Janet and Sarah (Mark's wife) wore simple red dresses, while Cassie and Lizzie (Mark's daughter) wore matching red, white and blue dresses.

As the couple exchanged vows, none of the adults had a dry eye, but when the wedding dance came, it was even more emotional. They danced to 98 degrees' version of "I do."

Jack leaned his lips down to her ear, and she closed her eyes. "It's worth it…everything to have you."

She smiled. "I don't want to lose you." She said, tears shining in her eyes, remembering the countless days wherein he had almost died. "But if I do, I'm going to be grateful for these memories."

"Like I said, it's worth it."

She kissed him as they continued dancing. "Yes, it is."

* * *

_(Insert Looney Toons theme) Da...da...dat's all folks!_


End file.
